This booklet contains a collection of brief articles with accompanying statistical tables and graphs that were originally published in 1974 issues of "American Education." A variety of statistical data are presented in a series of two-page sections; taken together, these sections illuminate many of the current trends in American education. Included are data reflecting expenditures of state and local governments, school expenditures compared to personal income on a state-by-state basis, number of children in poverty families, number of students and teachers in public schools, enrollment and expenditures of public schools in large cities, number of higher education institutions, enrollment trends in higher education institutions, financial support of higher education, percentage of college students in different fields of study, and average lifetime income for men compared to years of school completed. (JG)